I think I enjoy the cooking more than eating, there is nothing better than to watch the smile grow after someone’s first bite. Note from Steve: I am a flow of thought writer and apologize up front if I lose you. My family is used to it.
We braved the outside world Sunday armed with mask, bloves and bottle of purell and went to Whole foods during senior hours. Beside the better quality products we get a kick out of being carded. There was a line so we waited a proper 6 feet apart. I was surprised to see a few people without masks perhaps they were survivors and had anti bodies. While there, we grabbed some air chilled boneless chicken breast and also a package of bone in. Yesterday while food savering, is that a word we have a Food Saver and use it, we agreed on chicken parm for dinner.
I did the Pan-fried Chicken Cutlets then put sauce on bottom of pan, placed the cutlets spread mozzarella cheese then sauce (left over from ragu but did not have sausage in it) spinkeled so grated parmigiano. cover with tin foil. I out in refrigerator since it was still early afternoon. When i took out I placed in preheated oven at 350 degree and cooked fro about 15 minutes. removed foil and place slices of provolone cheese back in oven until melted.
This is always a good go to comfort meal that is really easy.
We loved the air-frier that Missy gave us a few years ago but a few weeks ago it died. We ordered the air-frier attachment for the instantpot and finaly used it tonight. Should say we ordered just as Amazon started with up to 1 month delivery for no. Essential items. What the heck do they know.
I was nervous because it seemed so much smaller so I baked the chicken and air-fried the potatoes. They actually came out pretty good and it has a built in turn food mode, in this case shake. I’ll have to fool around with the timing but feeling better about it. Ribs are calling me.
I love cooking and trying new things and being ordered shelter in place i’ve done a lot more. I’m trying to keep it interesting for Lyn but as I am sure you all we have both gained a little weight. Even with my almost daily 3-4 mile walks through the woods it’s been tough.
Baked potato tops with cheese, avocado and chilli, yes the potato is under there somewhereRed Onion RelishVeggie broth made from scraps good for soup baseBreakfast for supperSalad for lunches with any leftover proteins or notLots of thisSalad and cauliflower crust pizza
Had the skinny part of the pork roast leftover
made fajita and homemade flour tortillas
Chicken cacciatore sort of with lentil pasta , got to use what you havespaghetti and meatballsRavioli Puttanesca but added sundried tomatoes good additionRoasted VeggiesBoredomA very bland recipe for lettuce wraps not to be repeatedair fryer chickenAmerican GoulashA much better lettuce wrap chicken cooked from the gut
Lyn found this in the Boston Globe the only change we would make is add sundried tomatoes and add when the raisins are added.
The key to a romantic dinner at home is to keep it simple. Something quick can be just as impressive and elegant as a restaurant meal. For this dish, take thinly sliced chicken breasts and serve them with a white wine sauce made with pine nuts and raisins. If you can’t find ready-sliced skinless, boneless chicken cutlets, ring the butcher’s bell and ask the butcher to slice some or slice your own at home; one pound of chicken yields about four cutlets. Coat the chicken cutlets lightly with seasoned flour and pan-fry them. Take them out of the pan and start the sauce. Toast pine nuts first with a touch of garlic (hey, if you’re both eating it at the same time, nothing to worry about). Add raisins, rosemary, and white wine, simmer the sauce, reheat the chicken in it, and swirl in butter off the heat. Serve the cutlets on spaghettini; you can boil it while you cook the chicken. You’ve got the rest of the bottle of wine that didn’t go into the pot, a nice dish, and a quiet table away from the craze of a crowded restaurant.
1. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet in the flour and shake lightly to remove the excess.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
3. Add the pine nuts to the pan, and toast for 3 minutes, or until they are aromatic and just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
4. Add the raisins, rosemary, and wine. Bring to a simmer and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter. Swirl the pan gently until the butter is incorporated.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghettini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 9 to 10 minutes, or until it is tender but still has some bite. Drain without rinsing and divide between two plates. Spoon chicken cutlets and sauce on each and sprinkle with parsley.
Pan fry 3-5 minutes until golden and remove to plateToast pine nuts then add wine, raisins, rosemary bring to boil and then bring to simmerSwirl in butter add chicken back in and simmer for 5-9 minutesplace chicken on top of bed of spaghettini and top with sauceSprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. we served with a slow rise olive bread from Nashoba Brook Bakery
Pressure Cook the Chicken Thighs: Add onion, garlic, and rosemary to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Pour in 1 cup of cold running water and place a steamer basket into the pressure cooker. Place chicken thighs in the basket. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 6 minutes (small thighs) to 9 minutes (large thighs). Turn off the heat and Full Natural Release (roughly 10 minutes). Open the lid carefully.
Prepare the Crispy Breading: While the chicken thighs are pressure cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 – 1½ cup of panko breadcrumbs to the skillet. Toast the breadcrumbs until golden brown. Taste and add a small amount of kosher salt for seasoning.
Check with a food thermometer to ensure the chicken thighs have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F on the thickest part without touching the bone. Remove the chicken thighs from the pressure cooker.
Meanwhile preheat oven: Preheat Air Fryer to 400°F while the pressure cooker is natural releasing. I suppose if you have one of the new ones or and adapter for the instant pot you will have to wait. I have found that preheating the air fryer helps with the crispiness of whatever I’m cooking.
Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towel. Lightly season with salt and ground black pepper.
Lightly coat the chicken thighs with flour, dip them into the beaten eggs, and cover them with toasted buttery breadcrumbs. Very light spray of cooking oil on tray then place the chicken thighs in the Air Fryer quick another quick spray. I mean quick does not need much, and for roughly 5 to 10 minutes until the toasted breadcrumbs stick onto the chicken.
Note: I suppose you could make a gravy from the drippings in the instant pot but I prefer my fried chicken naked so to speak.
Now enjoy. This was gluten free from my wife, but I can’t wait to try with a traditional southern fried chicken coating anyone have suggestions.
Tried another batch this time I marinaded the thighs in buttermilk overnight and used italian breadcrumbs. Getting there but not quite up to southern fried chicken
I’m not sure where Lyn was but she must have had other plans because I will generally whip something like this up if cooking for myself. This is a cook from the gut and largely depends on what in the frig. I like the addition of honey gave it a sweeter taste. Sorry my picture did not come out that great, probably did not have my glasses on, but the taste made up for it. Remember cooking is a lot of tweaking to your tastes as well as what you have on hand.
Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
Optional: flour or cornstarch
Coat or dredge chicken pieces
Cornstarch is for gluten free
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs olive oil divided (1 Tbs)
1 cups broccoli florets
1 cups asparagus
1/2 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
I only had red bell pepper but would be nice with yellow and green mix.
Handful of raw or roasted cashews
Handful of sesame seeds
2 tsp minced ginger
1-2 garlic cloves minced
Optional depends on what you have in frig for veggies, i.e. carrots, broccoli florets etc.
Note: remember you want everything to be bite size
Stir Fry Sauce
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp cold water
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
How
Stir Fry Sauce
In a medium size bowl, whisk together corn starch and water. Add remaining ingredients (chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, and toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes) and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Chicken
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet or wok and heat over medium high heat.
Add chicken floured or not (in batches if necessary) and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet.
Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
Add broccoli, bell pepper, and asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, just until crisp tender. Add ginger and garlic and cook for an additional minute or until you smell the garlic.
Add chicken back into the skillet and stir to combine.
Whisk stir fry sauce and pour over chicken and vegetables and stir gently to combine.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, stir in cashew and let boil for one minute or thickness you like.
I saw this recipe and the placement of the pan in the oven caught my attention, I like to marinate my birds in buttermilk, so I tried something close to this. Thanks Samin Nosrat for the inspiration to try the cooking placement of pan method was well worth it, Lyn acutally brought it up again when Wholefoods had whole chickens on sale.
Ingredients
1 whole 4-pound chicken, cleaned (organs removed) and patted very dry
Kosher salt and pepper
1 quart buttermilk, well shaken- I use the powered just add water kind, always have it handy love how this tenderizes chicken etc.
1 onion and 1 lemon quarters
1 or 2 bay leaf
How
24 hours before you want to eat this chicken, salt inside and out with at least a few tablespoons, if not more. The reason is that much of the salt will get washed off by the buttermilk, so here you’re helping the inside of the chicken get seasoned. I wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in frig overnight.
Place the chicken in a re-sealable plastic bag and fill the bag with the buttermilk.
Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate. Over the next 8-24 hours you can turn the bag so each part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.
When you’re ready to roast, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Note: Next time I’ll place my cast iron or chefs’ pan in there so it gets piping hot. You hear the sizzle when you place the chicken on the pan.
Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. You can lightly rinse it if you want.
Place the bay leaves, onion and lemon in the chicken’s cavity.
Truss the chicken by placing a 12-inch length of butcher’s twine with its center in the small of the chicken’s back. Tie the twine around each wing tightly and then flip the chicken over and use the remaining twine to tie the legs together as tight as you can.
Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper or alternative salt seasoning and place the chicken in the pan carefully to make sure the legs will fit as below described and the handle is towards you.
Place the pan in the oven with the legs pointing toward the back left corner and close the door. You should hear the chicken sizzling pretty quickly.
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. When the chicken starts to brown, lower the heat to 425 degrees and continue roasting for 30 minutes and then move the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven.
Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. If it starts to get to brown for your taste you can always make a loose tent with tin foil.
When the chicken’s done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving it
Got home and saw the pineapple that needed to be cored and sliced, did that.
Opened the frig and looked…… grabbed a boneless chicken breast, red pepper, coconut soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, a teaspoon of corn starch and some fresh chives from the deck and peanuts love me my peanuts.
Mixed the soy sauce, vinegar and cornstarch to add when everything was done for a sauce was between 1/4 and 1/2 cup.
mixed some pepper to about a 1/4 cup of flour in a bag and added chicken shake to coat.
Shake off excess flour and put on plate until oil is heated in fry pan.
I used a fry pan is better with the electric stove than a wok get that evenly distributed heat.
Stir fried the chicken till almost done, added the pineapple, red pepper for a few minutes, peanuts, chives.
Stir sauce and add to pan, mix to thicken and cover.
If I had some asparagus that would have been nice.
Anyway came out pretty good.
Yes the chives were flowering added some nice color don’t you think.
Gourmet Dad, Don’t Let The Title Fool You 